Songs about love are often something of a lie — they tend to tell stories that are too neat, and to make saints out of their singers. Some basic tenets: Don’t admit fault, don’t admit that you got played, don’t give any credence to the inner narrative that might complicate the outer one.

There are a few songs like that on “SweetSexySavage,” the first major label album from Kehlani, the Oakland, Calif., R&B singer who, over the course of two self-released albums, has emerged as an idiosyncratic lyricist with discernible swagger. But the most striking moments on this refreshingly warm LP are the others, the ones where she conveys weakness, vulnerability and self-awareness.